Steam generator



Aug. 9, 1949. H. P. COOPER 2,478,569

STEAM GENERATOR Filed March 8, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l H. P. COOPER STEAM GENERATOR Aug. 9, 19479.

Filed March 8, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @QP/levy;

Patented Aug. 9, Y19.49

r 1- s.'rflxfrla:s PATENT- oFF-Iics iff* l l*2,478,569 Y Y Y GENEIm'roRv w A* K Harry Peter Cooperi-'Chicagm 111;. y

Application March 8, 194-5., SerialfNo., 51.81,*,6741r A tion: steam. and .electric iron. such as is show-n in my-.Patent No 2,025,092: on Pressingiron, patented December 24, 1.93.5.,

y It. is 'a 'purpose of invention. to provide a constant source of ste'axn, the dryness of which v remains substantially. constant., and which re. quires-no return system .for circulating steam such asis commonly used in steam supply oombinations; for pressing irons...

My invention produ-ces steam that is, of such vdryness that whatevenliquid. maybe formed, by condensation of the steam-is-fornied within the iron and is distributed through thai-ron, My improved steam generating dev-ice is. particularly applicable to, that type .of-pressingiron which uses-:an electric heating means in conjunction with' the steam andfrom which steam is dischargedata desired pointfor points while the iron fis. in use. vIn such an iron, itis desirable tolhave.- steam of'a constant quality of dryness.

My, improved steam'generator,` in combination with -aV regulator to .hold the pressure o f the steam- `generators .for

's crains.. (ol. 12g-a7).

steam below the water pressure of the supply line and` to maintain the Water supply in the boiler at substantially a constant level, is par-l ticularly capable of producing such dry steam of Aconstant quality.-

t is a further purpose of my invention to provide a comp-act steam' generator of relativelyiarge capacity so that one` of said generating units can supply more than one pressing iro'n lwith steam,V

should this be found to be necessary in an emergency.

.In order to produce-suoli dry steam as isV desired in van iron of the character referred to, I have 'provided a steam generator that com-prises stacked chambers, the lowermost one of vwhich is a steam generating ohambenend the uppermost'V Vonegof which 'is a dry steam and 4condensate removing chamber, andthe intermediate chamber-of which` comprises a water and condensate receiving chamber.

I yhave provided a very simple structure Ithat is highly reliable for this purpose, which is made up of tubular members that are secured together by means of nipples which also serve as means vfor establishing communication 'between the adjacent chambers and also as means for mountingrr a conduit for carrying the generated steam diy rectly from the generating lcli-amber to the upper steam collecting chamber. The means establishing communication between the adjacent cham-k 1 2.; bers provides.. for constant. oommunicationbee tween the steam generating chamber Vand the Waierfehamberabove the same so. that the Water' .level in .the waterreeeivins chamber will` be the water. level. of. the boiler and provides means' for returning the condensate collecting in the bote tom of the steam collecting chamberto the matin body of waterV in thewater chamber loelggvy the same.. f l.'

It. is `a further 4purpose ofmy invention to, provide a `steam generator of the above mentioned character in which the means for maintaining .the constant. communication between. the ladiaoent chambers is spaced longitudinally from the means. 01' establishing oommunioaiionbetweeil the. steam generating chamber and the Steam collecting .chain-ben; and to, provide. means bejtween the outlet. endof the conduit yproviding such communication between thestearn .generL ating` chamber and. the steamoolleotins chamber .to prevent direct passage of steamiromthe out.-r let vend of lthe conduit to, a dry steam outletprovided. in the ton-oi the uppermost chamber. ofthe generator.. Y It is another purpose oi my invention GQ Previde a ste-am generator that is simple Iand cheap in construction, being made up, of a stack of tubularrnembers with their longitudinal axes extending substantially horizontally connectedy together by the above referred to nipples and having closed end walls,which are provided with svuitaloleopen- .ings for the mounting of the heating means pro.- vided in the generating chamber?! pressure'connections between said generator and the water level controlling means to maintain a constant level of water ata predetermined point in fthe intermediate tubular c ghamber.v My invention also includes a novel mounting for the generator comprisingA a suppertnmember that includes a connection leading toa drinvalve and electricalheating means for the water inthe generating chamber that is so Constructed thatA the highest heat is obtained immediately belowthe .inlet to the Iconduitthat carries. the steam gen-V erated irl-the generating' chamber to the steam .collecting-chamber. Y 1 f Other objects and advantages ormy invention will appear'as the-description of the drawings proceeds. .I desire to have it undonitood,y however, that Iwdo notintend to limit myself` to the particular details shown or described, except as defined in the claims.

In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in vertical section of my improved steam generator and its mounting including .the controlling means for the water level and the steam pressure;

Fig. 2 is a view lpartly in elevation and partly in vertical section of the water level controlling means used in conjunction with my steamL generator; and Y Fig. 3 is a View taken substantially on the lin 3-3 of Fig. 1. i

Referring in detail to the drawings, my 1mproved steam generator s provided with a base ID of any desired character from which a tubular column extends, which is threaded to receive a solid plug |2 on which a T I3 is mounted, which has a nipple I4 connected therewith that is u which is also provided with end walls 2| that are ,-g,

xed thereto in liquid-tight relation. Nipples 22 and 23 are fixed in openings in the tubular walls I6 and I9 in liquid-tight relation thereto and serve as means for connecting said tubular members I6 and |9 to each other in xed relation. The nipple 22 also serves as means to Aestablish constant communication between the chamber |1 and the chamber 2D.

The tubular wall portion 24 of the uppermost chamber 25 is secured to the tubular wall portion I9 by means of the nipples 26 and 21 in the same manner as the tubular wall portion I9 is secured to the tubular wall portion I6, and the nipple 26 serves to maintain constant communiycation between the uppermost chamber 25 and the intermediate chamber 20.

The nipple 23 is internally threaded to receive lthe threads on the pipe or conduit 28 which is open at both ends thereof and extends from near the top .of the chamber l1 to a point a slight f ldistance above the axis of the chamber 25. Said chamber 25 is provided with end walls 29 which are Xed to the tubular member 24 in liquidtight relation to complete said chamber. From the upper portion of the tubular wall 24, a bale 39 extends downwardly so that the bottom edge of said baille is below the outlet end of the vcon- Aduit 28 and is located between said upper outlet end of s-aid conduit and the dry steam outlet connection 3| provided at substantilly the middle of the length of the uppermost chamber 25.

`lirom the outlet connection, dry steam conduits Vof the one end wall I8 of the bottom chamber I1,

the same being threaded to receive the threads V36 on the heating device 31, said heating device thus being mounted on the one end wall I8 and extending longitudinally of the steam generating chamber I1 to adjacent the other end thereof.

Referring to Fig. 3, it will be noted that a plu- 4 rality of the heating elements 31 is shown as being provided on the member 36 and said heater elements are made in such a manner that the heat produced thereby becomes more intense toward the free ends 38 of said members, the portions of said members 31 having the greatest heating capacity being located in substantially vertical alignment with the inlet end of the conduit 28, the steam generated `thus passing vdirectly into the inlet end of the conduit 28 and through the same into the receiving chamber 25.

The means for controlling the liquid level of 'water in the water receiving chamber 29 is illustrated as being a well known liquid level control unit 39, that illustrated being what is known as a McDonnell No. 47-2 Feeder-Cut-oiT-Combination manufactured by McDonnell & Miller, in which a iioat 40 controls the operation of a switch 4| which controls the position of a solenoid valve 42 which is in the liquid supply line,

the inlet 43 from the water supply leading to the valve seat, and the' water supply conduit 44 extends from said valve seat into the chamber 20, a nipple 45 being provided, xed liquid-tight in the one end wall 2| of said chamber, to which said conduit 44 is secured in liquid-tight relation, the opening into the chamber 20 being below the normal liquid level 46, maintained therein by the regulator 39. In order that the iioat properly controls the liquid level through the mechanism of the control member 39, the pipe 41, extending from the T I3 to the drain valve 48, and the pipe 49 extending from the said valve into the regulator 39, is provided. The valve 48 is ordinarily closed to the drain pipe 50, but maintains communication between the pipes 41 and 49. Thus the Water level in the float chamber 5I will be maintained at the same height as the Water level 46 in the chamber 20 when the regulator is functioning. The" water level regulator of the type referred to is also provided preferably with a connection from the steam collecting chamber, a nipple 52 being fixed liquid-tight in one of the end walls 29 of theY chamber 25 to which a pipe 53 is connected screwthreadedly which leads to the upper portion of the float chamber, as will be obvious from Fig. 2 of the drawings. The conduit 44 is connected with the outlet opening 54 in the regulator 39.

The top steam collecting chamber 25, which constitutes substantially a steam dome for the generator, is also provided with a safety valve 55 which is mounted on the screwthreaded nipple 56 that is iixed liquid-tight in the tubular wall 24, and with a cuplike member 51 which is connected with the valve 58 leading to the nipple 59 that is mounted in liquid-tight fixed relation to the tubular wall 24 and extends through the same so that boiler compound can be supplied to the steam generator to remove scale from the tubular members that form the same.

The opposite end wall 29 to that having the pipe 53 extending therefrom i-s provided with an opening in which is mounted in Y liquid-tight i," relation a connection 5|!- leading Yto a pressureoperated switch 5| of the type that will open or close the circuit leading to the electric Vheater members 31 when the pressure falls below or reaches the desired maximum, res ectively. A switch of the type suitable for this vpurpose is manufactured by theDetroit Lubricator Company and is known as their Type 25, Model NB-l Control. A suitable electrical conduit 62 extends Afrom the switch so as to connect the same in series with at least one yof the line conductors extending through the electrical conduit 63 to the terminal box 64 provided on the member 36 in a manner so as to control the supply of electrical energy to the electric heating members in accordance with the position of the contacts in the switch 6l so that whenever the pressure in the chamber 25 is below the desired pressure to be maintained, the switch 6l will close the circuit to the electric heater members, and as soon as the pressure of the steam in the chamber 25 reaches the desired maximum, the circuit to both of said heater members will be open so as to deenergize the same. The maximum pressure at which the switch open-s is preferably set so that the switch will deenergize the electric heater elements 31 when the pressure in the chamber 25 reaches a predeterminedr value below the water pressure in the supply line 43.

Preferably, the liquid-tight connection, between the nipples l5, 22, 23, 26, 21, 3|, 35, 45, 52, 56, 59 and 69, and the walls in which the same are mounted, is obtained by Welding said nipples in the openings provided therefor in said Walls, the nipples 22, 23, 26 and 21 thus rigidly securing the tubular members I6, i9 and 24 to each other. The end walls I8, 2l and 29 are also preferably welded to the tubular members liquidtight.

In operation, the steam generator being filled with water to the predetermined level 46, and the operation of the device being started, the heating elements 31 will be energized until the pressure of the steam generated in the chamber 25 reaches the predetermined maximum at which the switch 6I deenergizes said elements. `While the elements are being energized, steam will be gen-v erated in the chamber l1, and more rapidly near the ends 38 of the elements 31 and will pass upwardly through the conduit 28, Some entrained liquid may be in the steam passing through the conduit 28, and the baiiie 30 prevents the passing of said liquid into the dry steam outlet connection 3l, the liquid dropping to the bottom of the tubular wall 24, and this condensate, as it collects, then passing through the nipple 26 into the intermediate water chamber 20. Communication is continuously maintained between the chambers 20 and l1 so that the water in the chamber l1 will be replenished from the vchamber 20 as the steam is generated, and the liquid level control 39 will supply water through the pipe 44 to the chamber 20 immediately upon reduction of the level therein to restore the water to the predetermined level 46 which is substantially that indicated in the drawing. Due to the provision of the controlling means for the pressure and the water level, and the means for generating the steam and collecting the same, dry steam at substantially constant pressure and constant dryness will be supplied to the pressing apparatus connected with the generator through the dry steam outlet connection When for any reason it is desired to drain the system of water, this can readily be done by means of the valve 48, as both the water level control 39 and the steam generator can be drained through the common drain connection 50 through the valve 48. Suitable connections 65 and 66 are provided for mounting a gaugegla-ss 61, the same being connected with threaded nipples 68 and 69 which arepreferably Welded in openings in the tubular walls I6 and 24 in the manner shown in Fig. 3. The entire heat generator is preferably surrounded by heat insulating material 10, as shown in Fig. 3.

Having thus described my invention, what I 4claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A steam generator comprising stacked tubes having end walls to provide a closed chamber in each thereof, nipples near the ends of said tubes connecting the adjacent ones thereof, the nipples near one end of said tubes establishing com munication between adjacent chambers, an open ended conduit secured'inthe nipple connecting the bottom tube with the next adjacent tube and extending through said next adjacenttube and into the top tube a substantial distance, said conduit establishing communication between the bottom and top chambers, an outlet connection at the top of said top tube spaced from said conduit, a baffle between said outlet and the upper end of said conduit, and heating mean-s in said bottom tube.

2. A steam generator comprising stacked tubes having end walls to provide a closed chamber in each thereof, a support for said stacked tubes comprising a nipple secured in the tubular wall of the bottom tube, a, draineonnection leading from said nipple, nipples near the endsof said tubes connectingrthe adjacent ones thereof, the nipples near one end of said tubes establishing communication between adjacent chambers, an open ended conduit secured in the nipple connecting the bottom tube with the next adjacent tube and extending through said next adjacent tube and into the top tube a substantial distance, a water inlet leading through an end wall of said next adjacent tube, said conduit establishing communication between the bottom and top chambers, an outlet connection at the top of said top tube spaced from said conduit, a baflle between said outlet and the upper end of said conduit, and heating means in said bottom tube.

3. A steam generator comprising stacked tubes having end wall-s to provide a closed chamber in each thereof, nipples near the ends of said tubes connecting the adjacent ones thereof, the nipples near one end of said tubes establishing communication between adjacent chambers, an open ended conduit secured in the nipple connecting the bottom tube with the next adjacent tube and extending through said next adjacent tube and into the top tube a substantial distance, said conduit establishing communication between the bottom and top chambers, an outlet connection at the top of said top tube spaced from said conduit, a baffle between Ysaid outlet and the upper end of said conduit, Yand heating means in said bottom tube extending longitudinally thereof and being constructed to have its greatest heating effect below the inlet end of said conduit.

HARRY PETER COOPER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: Y

Y `UNrrED STATES PATENTS 

